Wheatley Associates and Steria partner on new Field Management Solution for smart meter operations

Nov 19, 2012 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) -- Bacton (Suffolk), UK -- Wheatley Associates and Steria have announced a strategic partnership for the development and delivery of a new, integrated, end-to-end Field and Asset Management Solution targeted at smart meter operations.

The new Field Management Solution is designed to provide the flexibility and scalability organisations need to maximise the business benefits of their smart metering programmes as the UK roll-out gathers momentum. Delivered through a Software as a Service (SaaS) business and scalable commercial model, the new Field Management Solution removes the need for significant up-front capital expenditure.

The UK smart meter roll-out is a crucial transformational undertaking and effective Field Management sits at the heart of the story, said Jeremy Goulding, CEO of Wheatley Associates. The new Field Management Solution, which draws on our combined expertise, is designed to support the roll-out of smart metering services and help facilitate the delivery of the business benefits by ensuring that smart meter operations not only run smoothly and efficiently but that a positive customer experience is maintained.

The strategic partnership combines Wheatley Associates and Sterias extensive experience and successful track records in delivering business software and IT-enabled business services to the energy and utilities industries. Wheatley Associates has been a leading supplier of software tools to the UK utilities industry since 1991, providing a range of mobile workforce scheduling, mobile device communications and meter asset / data flow management software. Steria provides considerable managed service expertise, bringing systems integration, hosting and on-going IT support to the Wheatley proposition.

The new Field Management Solution ensures the effective scheduling and execution of tasks to improve and optimise mobile workforce utilisation, improve efficiency, and deliver additional operational flexibility at the same time as enhancing operational visibility and reducing operating costs. With real-time access to scheduling inventories and fleet operations, it provides field operators and customer service teams with a single, consistent view of all data, ensuring a seamless customer experience.

The new Field Management Solution is delivered as a multi-layered, modular capability. At its core is Sterias Infrastructure on Command (IOC) platform, which provides a fully flexible and scalable, managed infrastructure hosting service, including robust security in a UK tier 3 data centre. The application layer comprises mobile field force management, integrated workforce management and scheduling, and fleet management telematics. The mobile field force management, integrated workforce management and scheduling is largely based on Wheatley Associates Assign mobile workforce scheduling software and mobile device communications platform. The Field Management Solution can be further extended to include value-added services such as meter asset and dataflow management based on Wheatley Associates JUMBO and Amethyst software solutions.

Designed to deliver an integrated, low-cost and scalable end-to-end solution that can be easily tailored to specific customer requirements, our partnership is all about providing smarter field management for smart meter implementation, said Karen Robertson, Head of Utilities for Steria. Implemented as a complete service, the new Field Management and Metering Solution provides full transparency and integration across the whole mobile field operation, enabling organisations to readily identify and maximise efficiencies.

About Wheatley Associates Wheatley Associates are experts in mobile workforce scheduling and efficiency. Drawing on its extensive software development heritage and its understanding of multi-dimensional scheduling requirements, the company provides a range of software solutions to manage complex, real-time mobile workforce scheduling demands. Applicable to a broad range of industries, markets and applications, the companys mobile workforce scheduling solutions dynamically balance work allocations and take account of changing events to maximise productivity and ensure the optimal use of costly resources. The companys scheduling solutions are backed by a comprehensive range of in-depth consultancy services designed to help clients understand and address the mobile workforce Efficiency Bleed. Additionally, with its leadership position in the provision of asset and data management solutions to the utilities industry, the company continues to be well-placed to take advantage of the emerging Smart Meter and Smart Grid initiatives. Wheatley Associates is a privately-held company based in Bacton, Suffolk in the United Kingdom.

For further information, please visit: http://www.wheatley-associates.co.uk.

About Steria Steria delivers IT enabled business services which help organisations in the public and private sectors operate more efficiently and profitably. By combining an in depth understanding of our clients businesses with expertise in IT and business process outsourcing, we take on our clients challenges and develop innovative solutions to address them. Through our highly collaborative consulting style, we work with our clients to transform their business, enabling them to focus on what they do best. Our 20,000 people, working across 16 countries, support the systems, services and processes that make todays world turn, touching the lives of millions around the globe each day. Founded in 1969, Steria has offices in Europe, India, North Africa and SE Asia and a 2011 revenue of 1.75 billion. 21 percent of Sterias capital is owned by its employees. Headquartered in Paris, Steria is listed on the Euronext Paris market.

For further information, please visit: http://www.steria.com/uk.

Media contacts: Dr. Mike Ward, Marketing Manager, Wheatley Associates Tel: +44 (0)1449 781001. Email: mike.ward@wheatley-associates.co.uk Keith Mason, Humbug PR for Wheatley Associates Tel: +44 (0)1305 849403. Email: keith.mason@humbugpr.com Ann Williams, Humbug PR for Wheatley Associates Tel: +44 (0)1305 849402. Email: ann.williams@humbugpr.com Bradley Tubb, Hotwire PR for Steria Tel: +44 (0)20 7608 2500. Email: steriauk@hotwirepr.com ((M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com.

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